CBI vs CBI: 'None of you deserve a hearing'; SC expresses disappointment over leak in CVC report

In a fresh twist to CBI feud, senior officer M K Sinha dragged the names of NSA Ajit Doval, Union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC KV Chowdhury over alleged attempts to interfere in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave along with his boss.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court postponed the hearing in the case pertaining to corruption charges against CBI’s ousted Director Alok Verma till November 29. The proceedings in the apex court, which were scheduled for Tuesday were expected to have a major bearing on the ongoing feud in the country's top most investigating agency; are now deffered till November 29. The court on Tuesday expressed his disappointment over 'leak' of CVC report, which was handed over by the court to Alok Verma's lawyer. The CJI while expressing disappointment told Verma's lawyer that the 'court had handed over the report to you considering you as  a senior lawyer and not just Verma's lawyer; then  how come the report leaked?" In an attempt to clarify his take,  CBI director Alok Verma's counsel Fali Nariman said that article that was published was Verma’s reply to CVC during the inquiry and not the reply filed in Supreme Court. CJI Ranjan Gogoi hands over another article in a cover as well as a newspaper to Nariman. The court had earlier differed the hearing in the case, till it completes examining the report submitted by Central Vigilance Commission, who was given a charge of probing the corruption charges against Verma and agency’s Special Director Rakesh Asthana. The court had asked CVC to submit the report in a closed envelope.

More developments in the case: In a fresh twist to CBI feud, senior officer M K Sinha dragged the names of NSA Ajit Doval, Union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC KV Chowdhury over alleged attempts to interfere in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave along with his boss. K V Chowdhury did not respond to queries when his reaction was sought while Doval, the National Security Advisor, was not immediately available for comments. The Union minister termed the allegations as baseless and malicious. Sinha, who was probing the FIR against Asthana, the CBI's number 2, and important cases like the PNB scam involving Nirav Modi, made a litany of sensational allegations in his petition before the Supreme Court that sought urgent hearing for quashing his transfer to Nagpur. Advocate Sunil Fernandes, appearing for Sinha, informed a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that his client has "got some shocking revelations" in his petition and sought urgent listing and hearing Tuesday along with the plea of CBI Director Alok Verma.